We have a presentation to Raleigh Parks on 2008 Jan 30 13:00 at the Raleigh Municipal Building. The whole class will be going. Note: 30 Jan presentation postponed. Special meeting to be held on 11 Feb 3PM at City Hall.
Objectives of project
- provide a rich learning opportunity for students and faculty
- provide a real-life, hands-on educational opportunity for natural resources students who are our future leaders
- provide data that NC Division of Forest Resources Urban Forests Program and City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department have indicated interest in
- assess structure of Raleigh's urban forest
number of trees
species composition
size distribution
canopy characteristics
- estimate value of trees and ecosystem services provided by Raleigh's urban forest
compensatory (replacement) value
removal of ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter from air
total carbon stored by trees, and net annual storage of carbon
- estimate energy effects and potential effects of pests and disease
effect of trees on energy use in buildings (can cause and increase of decrease), and corresponding effect on carbon emissions from power plants
potential effect of infestations by Asian longhorned beetles, emerald ash borers, gypsy moth, or Dutch elm disease
- we will use the UFORE model, developed by the USDA Forest Service and provided by i-Tree (see www.itreetools.org/ )
- this year we will pilot the approach city-wide with approximately 100 sample points
- this will likely lead to wide margins of error, which can be reduced by increasing number of samples
Where else has this been done?
- quite a few places in the US: Atlanta, Baltimore, Freehold (NJ), Grenwille-Spartanburg (SC), Jersey City (NJ), New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Wilmington (DE)
- several foreign cities: Bejing, Calgary, Fuenlabrada (Spain), Santiago, Oakville (Ontario), Petrozavodsk (Russia)
Why do this?
- provide a snapshot / baseline of the forest resource in Raleigh, with a dollar value of trees and ecosystem services they provide
- provide information about forest ecosystem services to planners and policymakers
- provide insight into the importance of the forest resource
- understand potential for disease and pest damage
What will be done on Raleigh Park property?
- if a sample plot is assigned randomly to property within the Raleigh Park system ...
- non-invasive, non-destructive data collection on 0.1-acre (37-foot radius) plots, including tree species identification, bole diameter, crown diameter, and height; ground cover estimates, and crown light exposure; distance to nearby buildings for energy savings calculations
How will data be used?
- UFORE model requires plot data to perform calculations of numbers of trees, species composition of the urban forest, and the value of various ecosystem services provided by the urban forest
- aggregated data will be reported; no reports on individual plots; exact location of individual plots will not be identified in reports
We have a presentation to Raleigh Parks on 2008 Jan 30 13:00 at the Raleigh Municipal Building. The whole class will be going.
Note: 30 Jan presentation postponed. Special meeting to be held on 11 Feb 3PM at City Hall.
Objectives of project
- provide a rich learning opportunity for students and faculty
- provide a real-life, hands-on educational opportunity for natural resources students who are our future leaders
- provide data that NC Division of Forest Resources Urban Forests Program and City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department have indicated interest in
- assess structure of Raleigh's urban forest
- number of trees
- species composition
- size distribution
- canopy characteristics
- estimate value of trees and ecosystem services provided by Raleigh's urban forest- compensatory (replacement) value
- removal of ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter from air
- total carbon stored by trees, and net annual storage of carbon
- estimate energy effects and potential effects of pests and disease- effect of trees on energy use in buildings (can cause and increase of decrease), and corresponding effect on carbon emissions from power plants
- potential effect of infestations by Asian longhorned beetles, emerald ash borers, gypsy moth, or Dutch elm disease
- we will use the UFORE model, developed by the USDA Forest Service and provided by i-Tree (see www.itreetools.org/ )- this year we will pilot the approach city-wide with approximately 100 sample points
- this will likely lead to wide margins of error, which can be reduced by increasing number of samples
Where else has this been done?
- quite a few places in the US: Atlanta, Baltimore, Freehold (NJ), Grenwille-Spartanburg (SC), Jersey City (NJ), New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Wilmington (DE)
- several foreign cities: Bejing, Calgary, Fuenlabrada (Spain), Santiago, Oakville (Ontario), Petrozavodsk (Russia)
Why do this?
- provide a snapshot / baseline of the forest resource in Raleigh, with a dollar value of trees and ecosystem services they provide
- provide information about forest ecosystem services to planners and policymakers
- provide insight into the importance of the forest resource
- understand potential for disease and pest damage
What will be done on Raleigh Park property?
- if a sample plot is assigned randomly to property within the Raleigh Park system ...
- non-invasive, non-destructive data collection on 0.1-acre (37-foot radius) plots, including tree species identification, bole diameter, crown diameter, and height; ground cover estimates, and crown light exposure; distance to nearby buildings for energy savings calculations
How will data be used?
- UFORE model requires plot data to perform calculations of numbers of trees, species composition of the urban forest, and the value of various ecosystem services provided by the urban forest
- aggregated data will be reported; no reports on individual plots; exact location of individual plots will not be identified in reports
Letter sent to Sally Thigpen describing project: